This invention relates to line cutting apparatus and more particularly to fishing line cutting tool that may be removably mounted to a number of fishing rods.
As most fishermen know, there are many tasks in fishing that interfere with the actual fishing time. The more time these tasks take, the less time spent fishing. Two of the more time-consuming tasks are changing the fly, lure, or baited hook attached to the line or leader, and sharpening the hook. Traditionally, these tasks are accomplished with scissors, knife, or nail clippers to cut the line or leader and a sharpening stone to sharpen the hook. Most fishermen endeavor to keep these tools handy by carrying them in a vest or pants pocket or in a fishing carryall. Even if one knows of the tools' whereabouts, however, there is always some amount of searching and fumbling before they can be located. Even worse, an object as small as a knife or sharpening stone is easily lost or misplaced, causing the fisherman much frustration and loss of valuable time while hunting for the elusive tool.
To assist the fisherman in these tasks, a number of line cutting tools have been devised that mount directly to the fishing pole. A primary example of such devices is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,393 to Gordon. The Gordon device includes a piston and cylinder combination welded to an attached base which in turn is permanently bound to the fishing rod with fishing line or the like. The piston has a cutting edge which coacts with an edge of the cylinder to make the desired cut in the line. The Gordon device also includes a flat sharpening stone mounted on top of the cylinder for sharpening a fishhook.
Although an improvement over the traditional separate knife and sharpening stone, the Gordon device has a number of drawbacks. For one, the piston and cylinder combination is not easily cleaned and therefore may be subject to frequent jamming. For another, the combination is not easily disassembled for replacing the piston or sharpening the cutting edges. Still another drawback is the device's lack of mobility. Its base is designed to be permanently mounted to a single fishing rod. One cannot easily transfer the device to a different rod or pole without cutting the retaining lines and spending considerable time remounting the combination. In addition to these disadvantages, the device acts as a splint which inhibits free flexing of the fishing rod to which it is bound. Such flexing is often critical to rod balance and in landing a fish.
Another example of a prior line cutting tool is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,561,289 to Paris. The Paris device includes a whetstone and a blade mounted on opposite sides of a sleeve which is designed to be clamped to the fishing rod. A blade cover is pivotally hinged to the sleeve for protectively enclosing the blade cutting edge. The cover is pivoted away from the blade to expose the entire edge for cutting the fishing line. The cutting edge, however, presents a danger to the fisherman when so exposed. When attempting to cut a fishing line, one could easily cut a finger on the sharp edge. Moreover, like the Gordon device, the Paris device is not easily transferable from a rod of one diameter to a rod of another diameter. The sleeve is attached by a number of bolts and nuts which would have to be removed and reattached each time the device is to be mounted on another rod. Additionally, the sleeve would likely interfere with the flexing of the rod.
The line cutting tool disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,128,023 to Cook suffers from similar disadvantages. The Cook device is basically a blade mounted to the rod by rubber bands wound about the device's base. A number of notched openings in a covering body attached to the base expose portions of the blade's cutting edge for cutting the fishing line. The blade edge in Cook is exposed and could easily nick a finger of a fisherman attempting to cut the fishing line. And as with the other prior devices, the Cook device cannot be transferred from a rod of one diameter to a rod of a different diameter and likely limits the flexing of the fishing rod.
Other devices for cutting fishing line or sharpening hooks are shown generally in U.S. Pat. No. 1,851,370 to Munger, U.S. Pat. No. 2,698,503 to Haworth, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,870 to Sellman. All these devices suffer from one or another drawback such as described herein which have discouraged their commercial use.